Elliot Anderson has shown exactly why Manchester City are prepared to pay a whopping £116 million for his contract as England chase World Cup glory.
Elliott Anderson returns to command midfield for England
Elliott Anderson’s £116m price tag may seem steep, but look closer and you’ll see why Manchester City see him as the future of their midfield.
He was already looking like a key figure in the England squad for this World Cup, and his imprint was all over this cautious but important Jude Bellingham-inspired victory over Panama.
The school of thought is that a player with such enormous financial value should be guaranteed 20 goals and 15 assists per season.
But orchestrators and conductors like Anderson shouldn’t be judged solely on data and metrics. It was very impressive that despite being a full-time player, he had more touches than any other player on the pitch (92).
The 23-year-old’s simplicity and comfort in holding down the center of the pitch freed up England’s frontline players and gave man-of-the-match Bellingham license to move out of a deeper role.
But the Three Lions’ alarming struggles, which brought down both Ghana and Panama, should not be used as a crutch to bring down Anderson.
It’s not really his job to unlock and create, but he’s still capable of delivering killer passes, like he did with Bellingham in Dallas. His cross from the back post to Marcus Rashford in the first half wasn’t bad either.
One of the several key issues facing Thomas Tuchel is the balance of his midfield, although there are clearly more pressing concerns at the moment regarding fluidity, particularly in the final third.
Morgan Rodgers could be a catalyst, but to include him in No. 10 Tuchel would have to drop Anderson, Bellingham or Rice, which feels unrealistic.
Additionally, while Anderson and Rice are very similar and standout players, and they can be great together, there’s an argument to be made that this combination lacks versatility.
Anderson takes on the Panamanian defense (Image: Jose Hernandez/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Rice, who was given a yellow card for hitting his calf in Boston, is of course resting here, which speaks volumes about Tuchel’s choice of Anderson over Koby Mainu despite his tight muscles.
Quite simply, it’s because he considers himself the focal point of the team, and his several recoveries to negate a threatening Panama break were further proof of that.
It was an ugly team performance that won’t stick in the memory for long apart from an explosive five minutes in the second half, but Anderson was one of the few positive players and the pressure of an impending big-money move to City doesn’t seem to be weighing heavily on his shoulders.
There will be tough tests ahead, but whatever happens, two years after Max Kilman was offered by Wolves from Newcastle on a players-plus-cash deal, he has become an integral part of his country’s game on the biggest stage.
A source close to England’s camp said a final medical could be carried out at City within the next few days.
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